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Locavore News — Canada

Food strategy is a blueprint for Vancouver’s emerging edible landscape

New policy document will make food systems central to every aspect of the city’s business. The city’s new food strategy depicts a high-density urban environment lush with edible landscaping, community vegetable gardens, green walls, rooftop greenhouses, farmers markets and thousands of green jobs based in a burgeoning local food economy. City council intends the Vancouver of the near future to be a model system of just and sustainable locally-grown food, a city as pretty as it is delicious. Vancouver Sun story. Strategy.

New plans cooked up for fans of local food — In Pictures

Despite the soggy conditions, Vancouverites flocked to the city’s only winter farmers’ market this past Saturday at the parking lot and plaza outside Nat Bailey Stadium. Patrons had plenty to choose from – whether it was local produce, handmade sausages, the cheesy fare from some of the city’s top food trucks, or handcrafted purses and bags. And this week, the local-food movement could get a huge boost. Globe and Mailpictures.

New program makes it easier for Calgary shoppers to spot local food in supermarkets

When it rolls out next month, Localize will help consumers quickly and easily identify those foods — tying together the growing appetite for local products and founder and CEO Meghan Dear’s belief that supporting area farmers, producers and manufacturers should be easy, for both them and shoppers.While consumers are increasingly looking for local or regional goods, finding them in grocery stores isn’t always straightforward. She hopes Localize will change that. Calgary Herald story.

Agri-food Groups Encouraged to Create “Buy Local” Campaigns

Two million dollars in provincial funding is up for grabs to encourage British Columbians to buy local. The provincial government is taking applications from agriculture-related groups to help them promote local food products. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick says groups that represent BC agri-food and other food sectors can apply. HQ Prince George story.

District of North Vancouver told grow more local food

Researcher hopes Metro area municipalities will endorse project. With the right management, southwestern British Columbia could grow a bounty of fresh food, a Kwantlen Polytechnic University researcher told District of North Vancouver council Monday. Kent Mullinix, a director of sustainable agriculture and food security at Kwantlen, spoke to council in the hopes of attaining a district endorsement as well as a total of $6,000 contributed over the next three years with the ultimate aim of growing more food closer to home. Kwantlen’s three-year, $1.7-million research project is designed to cultivate the next generation of farmers while retaining more of the money spent on food within the province and lessening the environmental impact of sprawling food-distribution networks. NorthShore News story.

Marois vows to fight speculation

Premier Pauline Marois promised to fight speculation of agricultural land at a breakfast organized by the Coalition pour la souveraineté alimentaire at the annual conference of the Union des producteurs agricoles. Marois said her government would work with the UPA to combat speculation and protect Quebec’s agriculture heritage. She also proposed a plan to institute a program that would help young farmers and entrepreneurs through the Banque de développement économique du Québec. La terre de chez nous story in French.

Is local Hamilton food better for you?

CBC News sent spinach hand-picked at the local Morden’s farm and its grocery store rival, Organic Girl baby spinach from California’s fertile Salinas Valley, a 4,000-kilometre trip from farm-to-table, to a Mississauga lab for testing. ILC Micro-Chem found that the local sample was “more nutritious overall.” It fared better in a few areas, including Vitamin A, calcium and iron. Results courtesy ILC Micro-Chem. The tests showed that California spinach had 20 per cent of the daily requirement of Vitamin A, while the local spinach had 25 per cent, while the local spinach had 25 per cent, noted Hamilton public health dietician Vicki Edwards. CBC News story.

Join a people-powered campaign to promote local food and drink on Vancouver Island

The #localfoodhero campaign aims to spread awareness and generate excitement around Vancouver Island’s local food economy. It’s all about celebrating the flavour, craft, nutrition and community benefit of buying from our local businesses, farmers, chefs, wineries, markets and more. How does the campaign work? It’s people-powered and calls on Vancouver Island locals and visitors to help spread the word about their local food and drink experiences through social media. Salt Spring Coffee post.

Innovation of the Week: Student Program Connects Consumers to the Food System Process

In an effort to increase the amount of food that is sourced locally, students at McGill University established The McGill Food Systems Project (MFSP). The project, which began in 2009, engages students in the food system process by supporting student-led applied research that helps the University establish best practices for purchasing sustainable food. Collaborating with professors, the McGill Food and Dining Services, and the McGill Office of Sustainability, students conduct research and implement projects that help inform the University about the source of its food. WorldWatch Institute post.

Une SADAQ pour préserver nos terres agricoles

The world is losing farmland at an incredible pace, according to a new study by the Institut de recherche en économie contemporaine for the Union des producteurs agricoles. Their recommendation: create a savings fund to buy and protect farmland as a contribution to the future rather than profit for today. They would create a Société d’aménagement et de développement agricole du Québec to manage the fund, and a Bureau de surveillance et d’enregistrement des transactions to keep track of who is buying and selling to try and keep as much farm land in the hands of producers. La Terre de chez nous story in French.

AND IF YOU HAVE TIME

Website reveals the real cost of restaurant meals

Hat tip to Toronto Life for bringing this cool Tumblr to my attention: The Price Hike. Edited by Bloomberg food critic Ryan Sutton, The Price Hike “lets consumers know when restaurants raise or lower their prices,” and “helps explain why chefs charge what they do.” Or as Toronto Life puts it, uses “Excel-ninja skills to restaurant menus to figure out the real price of a night out.” Of particular interest to Canadian readers: Sutton’s recent analyses of David Chang’s Toronto-based Momofuku triad (Shoto, Daisho, Noodle Bar). Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association post.

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One thought on “Locavore News — Canada”

As a recently transplanted Vancouverite I already love, love, love our Granville Island Public Market with its wonderful choice of foods, homemade products, and friendly people. Vendors offer everything you may dream about — from amazingly fresh fish and seafood, fruits and veggies to home bakeries.
I’m happy reading here about the Calgary new local food program because in next 2 years I’m going to shuttle between Vancouver and Calgary a lot. Going to explore.